1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic main distributing frame (MDF) control system for matrix boards in which the wires on the side of lines from call subscribers and the wires on the side of the subscriber circuit from the subscriber circuit of a switch are disposed orthogonally to one another, wherein robots make line connections by inserting connecting pins in intersection holes (openings) provided at the intersections thereof; and in particular it relates to an automatic MDF control system whereby the activity of robots corresponding to connection requests is controlled in nonreal-time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Connections between the wires on the side of lines from telephone subscribers and the wires on the side of the subscriber circuit from the subscriber circuit side of a switch need to be altered due to factors such as new installation, removal, re-housing and translocation of telephone equipment. Therefore, use is made of a MDF (Main Distributing Frame) whereby connections are altered by means of jumper leads. Because the work of altering connections in a MDF using such jumper leads has previously involved manual work, productivity has been poor. Also, because this has required on-site working, there have been problems in that a workman or woman has had to be sent even to places such as unmanned stations on remote islands, and working costs have been large.
Thus an automatic MDF device has been adopted in which the line-side wires and subscriber-circuit-side wires are orthogonal to one another via an insulated board, connection holes (openings) have been formed at their intersections, and electrically conductive connection pins have been inserted therein, so constituting a matrix board in which connections are made between orthogonal wires, and which MDF device controls the system in such a way that connecting pins are inserted and withdrawn by a robot.
With this automatic MDF device, a substantial amount of jumper work is facilitated by sending a connection request for robot control from an operating terminal, and efficient working becomes possible by remote control in unmanned stations and elsewhere.
FIG. 7 is an outline configurational diagram of an automatic MDF device. In FIG. 7, in the matrix board 11, the line-side wires 9 led into the automatic MDF device from subscriber telephones 18, and the subscriber circuit-side wires 10 led into the automatic MDF device from subscriber circuits 19 of the switch are disposed orthogonally to one another. Also, connection between orthogonal wires can be achieved by inserting a connecting pin 13 into an intersection hole 12 (same as the connection hole) formed at an intersection.
Further, a call-routing control unit 8 comprises a plurality of matrix boards 11 and a connecting-pin placement area 14 in which are mounted connecting pins 13 of a number sufficient to connect all the line-side wires 9 and all the subscriber circuit-side wires 10. Further, as designated by a robot control unit 7, a robot unit 15 having a mechanism for gripping the connecting pins 13 has the function of moving in two directions which are orthogonal to one another (the X and Y directions) using a robot frame 16 and a slide unit 17 as rails, and inserting a connecting pin 13 into the intersection hole 12 located at the address designated.
Consequently, a predetermined connecting pin 13 corresponding to the intersection address on the connecting-pin placement area 14 is withdrawn, and the connecting pin 13 is inserted in the intersection hole 12 located at the designated address on the matrix board 11, thereby making it possible to establish a connection between a subscriber telephone 18 and a subscriber circuit 19 of the switch.
FIG. 8 is a configurational diagram of a conventional automatic MDF control system. In FIG. 8, when a request for connection of a subscriber telephone 18 and the subscriber circuit 19 of the switch is sent from an operating terminal 1, then, in the control device 2, a robot command to acquire a connecting pin 13 from the connecting-pin placement area 14, and a robot command to insert the connecting pin 13 in the intersection hole 12 where the relevant subscriber telephone 18 is connected with the subscriber circuit 19 of the switch, are generated by means of a robot-command conversion mechanism 4 which converts connection requests into robot commands for controlling the activity of a robot.
At this time, when the connection request is converted into robot commands, the connection request is initially converted into path data having address data of an intersection hole 12, and the robot commands are generated based on this path data.
The robot commands which are generated are transmitted to robot control units 7-1, 7-2 and 7-3 respectively responsible for a plurality of call-routing control units 8-1, 8-2 and 8-3 having a matrix board 11 equipped with the relevant intersection hole 12.
FIGS. 9A, B illustrate the pin-manipulation method in a conventional automatic MDF control system. In the pin-manipulation method in the conventional automatic MDF control system, robot commands are generated in real-time. To elaborate, as shown in FIG. 9A, when connection requests are produced in the sequence intersection hole 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, then a robot which is not depicted moves from the home position 20 in one direction in the Y direction (Arrow Y1) in such a way that connecting pins 13 are inserted in the sequence of the connection requests.
However, when, for example, connection requests are produced in the sequence intersection hole 12-3, 12-1, 12-2 as shown in FIG. 9B, then, even though the locations and the number of the connecting pins 13 to be inserted are the same, the robot moving from the robot home position 20 moves along the arrows Y1, Y2 and Y3, and thus the distance moved in the Y direction is approximately three times as much as it is in FIG. 9(A). In other words, there is wasteful distance moved by the robot (ineffective distance moved) depending on the order of the connection requests.
In particular, connection requests for several thousand units of already installed subscribers continue to be made while the task of introduction of an automatic MDF device is underway. However, there are problems in that, depending on the state of the already installed subscribers, there will be occasions when the ineffective distance moved by the robot increases and the length of the task is extended, and costs of introducing an automatic MDF device are increased.
While there is a method for increasing the speed of activity of the robot in order to reduce the length of the task, in this method an increase in the driving force of the robot presents economic problems including an elevated price, increase in the power consumption and an increase in scale of the robot.
Consequently the present invention aims to provide an automatic MDF control system which improves the speed of manipulation of the pins in an automatic MDF device, without presenting such economic problems.
To achieves the above mentioned aim, a first automatic MDF control system of the present invention comprises: a plurality of matrix boards provided with openings in locations where a plurality of first wires and second wires cross without electrical connections; a robot which inserts electrically conductive connecting pins into the openings and connects the first wires and the second wires where the pins are inserted; a path data conversion unit converting connection requests from an operating terminal into path data having a plurality of addresses of the openings; a robot command conversion unit receiving the path data and converting the path data into robot commands for controlling activity of the robot as a distance moved by the robot moving between the plurality of address being reduced by a selected sequence of the converted path data; and a robot control unit controlling the activity of the robot based on the robot commands.
In this way, when path data is converted into robot commands, the addresses of the openings of the matrix boards contained in the path data are re-listed in such a way that the distance moved by the robot is, for example, as short as possible, and therefore wasteful movement by the robot is avoided.
Further, a second automatic MDF control system of the present invention comprises: a plurality of matrix boards provided with openings in locations where a plurality of first wires and second wires cross without electrical connections; a plurality of robots which insert electrically conductive connecting pins into the openings and connects the first wires and the second wires where the pins are inserted; a path data conversion unit converting connection requests from an operating terminal into path data having a plurality of addresses of the openings; a robot command conversion unit receiving the path data and converting the path data into robot commands for controlling activity of the robots, for each of the plurality of the robots moving between the plurality of the addresses; and a robot control unit controlling the activity of the robot based on the robot commands.
In this way, when path data is converted into robot commands, the addresses of all of the items of path data corresponding to the input connection requests are sorted for each robot, and are converted into robot commands in robot units, thereby making it possible to control the robots efficiently. Consequently, these inventions allow the pin insertion and withdrawal times to be greatly reduced without using an expensive robot capable of high-speed insertion and withdrawal activity.